Veteran Socialist Leader Mani Ram Bagri Dead

Veteran socialist leader Mani Ram Bagri, a close associate of Raj Narayan, who had played a leading role in the heady days before the fall of Janata Party government headed by Morarji Desai in the late 70s, died in Hisar today. He was 93.

A General Secretary of the Samyukta Socialist Party from 1972 to 1974 and later of Janata Party (S), Bagri was detained during emergency under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act.

The Morarji Desai government was followed by the Charan Singh government, which did not last long. Indira Gandhi later returned to power in the 1980s with a huge mandate.

He was elected to the third Lok Sabha, sixth Lok Sabha and the seventh Lok Sabha and was earlier a member of the un-divided Punjab legislative assembly from 1953 to 55.

Bagri participated in the national movement at a very young age and joined socialist movement led by Acharya Narendra Dev, Jaiprakash Narayan and Rammanohar Lohiya.